RWBY: Of Tigers and Hyenas
by The Chupacabra
Summary: Mark Nilakeme travels to the World of Remnant. There, he must learn to navigate the unforgiving world of monsters and mobs.
1. The Device

Thunder rumbled in the distance, as I stepped back to admire my newly finished work. My name is Mark Nilakeme. I am a 16-year-old inventor and I had just finished my greatest creation.

"Finally. My dimensional transporter is finished." I breathed a sigh of relief. I turned on the machine, I typed in a code and the machine stated, "Please scan handprint." I raised my palm to the hand-scanner, and the machine accepted the handprint. "Please input a name for the owner of this handprint." I did so, and the computer pinged, "Mark Nilakeme handprint accepted. Please state destination." I thought for a moment, and proceeded to say, "Send me somewhere fun."

"Affirmative. Destination selected," the computer pinged and a small remote that was in a socket next to the door popped out.

"This remote is to send you back home if you desire to return at any time." the transporter informed me. The doors swished open, and revealed a swirling blue portal. I donned my boots and my trench coat, then step through the portal as the transporter said, "Have a nice trip."


	2. The Girl and the Beowulf

**A/N: Mark will **_**NOT **_**be changing RWBY from the story you already know and love. The only difference is that there are more characters. Otherwise, Mark will not use his knowledge of events to change the story in any way. **

**Another thing. I want your opinion. Should I have Mark reveal his origins to Taiyang and family, or should he keep it a secret? I am leaving the story up to the fans. Message me and tell me your opinion.**

I land in a snow filled landscape. In front of me is a girl wearing a red, holding a massively oversized red and black mechanical scythe behind her back. I knew she had to be Ruby Rose Surrounding her, falling are empty, high caliber sniper shells, and black, dismembered wolf-like bodies.

"Out of all places to end up, the RWBYverse is not a bad one. And right after Ruby killed all of the monsters for me. At least I have seen the show, so I know what is going to happen when so I can avoid it. " I muttered under my breath. I stepped forward, and the Ruby spun around, aiming her scythe at me.

"Give me one good reason that I shouldn't shoot you." She says in a calm voice.

"You shouldn't shoot me because, maybe, just maybe, I'm not a threat." I say, matter-of-factly.

"If you aren't a threat, then why are your claws extended?" Ruby asks.

"I don't have claw…" I say as I glance at my hands, "Woah, I have claws." I look up and see one of the wolves she didn't kill behind her, ready to strike.

"Watch out." I shout, as I jump over her head into the monsters face. Its head whips backward with such force that its spine instantly snaps. The wolf falls backward into the snow, dead.

"How did you do that?" Ruby is suddenly next to me, her scythe away, looking at me with amazement.

"I saw it getting up, and I attacked." I shrug.

"I know. But how did you snap its neck? No one on record has ever done that to a Grimm before," Ruby said in awe, "Follow me. You would make a great Hunter."

We began traveling immediately. 3 days later, I began seeing signs of civilization. Small houses were popping up in the snow, and when the snow turned to grassland, there were even more. Eventually, we came to a small town.

As we approached a certain house, Ruby turned to me, and said "Welcome to my home, Mark." With that, she opened the door. Inside were two people. One was a grown man whom I guessed was Taiyang Xiao Long, Ruby's father , the other was a girl with blonde hair that I recognized immediately to be Rubys' half-sister, Yang. A small Pembroke Welsh Corgi bounds over to me and starts yipping at my feet.

"This is Zwei." Ruby told me.

"Welcome home, sis," Yang said. "Who's you're friend?"

"Hey, Yang. His name is Mark. Besides that, I don't know who he is. When I was visiting Mom's grave, I had to kill a bunch of beowolves. When I finished, I turned around, and he was just there. He then proceeded to snap the neck of a Beowulf that I had missed. Mark, this is my sister, Yang, and my father."

"Did you say he snapped a beowulf's neck?" Yang asked, incredulously, "That has never been done before."

"Well, now it has," I say, "Mark Nilakeme. Sixteen-year-old technological prodigy. Pleasure to meet you." I extend my hand. She takes it, and shakes.

"It is nice to meet you, Mark." Taiyang says, "Call my Taiyang. If I may be so bold, may we have a demo on the snapping of a beowulf's neck?".

"You may." I respond cordially.

"Another question that I have is what your semblance is?" Taiyang said.

"My soul power?"

"No, your semblance." Taiyang corrected.

"Yeah, my soul power." I repeated.

"Why do you keep saying that?" Yang asked me.

"I'm calling it what it is. A person's semblance is the power given to them by their soul. As a result, it is a soul power." I say, matter-of-factly.

"Ok, good point. Anyway, what is yours?" Taiyang asks.

"Oh, I haven't unlocked my aura yet." I say matter-of-factly.

"What do you mean? If you haven't unlocked your aura yet, then how did you display that impressive amount of power against the Beowulf?" Ruby asked me.

"I'm guessing it has something to do with the fact that I am a tiger Faunus, and tigers are naturally extremely strong animals." I say.

'Ok, that makes sense. I'll activate your aura for you." Ruby says. She places her right thumb on my forehead, and her left thumb in the middle of my chest. She begins glowing dark red. Immediately, my body begins to glow an ultramarine shade of blue. After a few seconds, Ruby removes her hands, and the glows slowly fade.

"Wow. That is _a lot_ of auric energy," Ruby states, "Now, lets go snap a Beowulf's neck."

After about 20 minutes of walking, we reach another forest. We enter, and I immediately sense malevolent presences surrounding us. Suddenly, a boarbatusk comes into view. We all ducked out of the creature's view, and it passes without a sound. Five minutes pass, and we finally see a Beowulf in a clearing. Taiyang quickly knocks it out, and sets it up in a good position. He stands aside, and I approach the unconscious beast. I place my right hand on the front of its head and my left on the back, and, with great force and speed, push with my right arm, and pull with my left. An audible crack rings throughout the clearing, and the Grimm falls to the ground, its head hanging at a strange angle. The trio stared at me in amazement as we began our return journey to their home.

"I would suggest that you attend Signal for a year or so, but you have no formal training." Taiyang mused.

"That is not true, sir," I say, "I have mastered in two of the most deadly martial arts known to man: Krav Maga, and Tiger Style Kung Fu. I also designed my own martial art style, onojutsu, or 'Way of the Axe.'

"I stand corrected." Taiyang stated, "If you wish, you may start attending Signal in the fall. However, you will have to join the freshman until you prove to the staff that you can hold your own in combat."

"I believe I will take you up on that offer, Taiyang." I say


	3. The School and the Friend

During the next twenty minutes, I tell Taiyang all about my dimension hopping. I made sure the girls aren't in earshot before I begin speaking.

"So you come from a dimension where Grimm don't exist, Faunus don't exist, is less technologically advanced, and people do not have access to their auras?" Taiyang asks me after I tell my story.

"That sounds about right," I tell him, "It's probably a lot to take in. Also in my dimension, there is a web show about this universe called RWBY. It is about, well, Ruby, Yang, and two other girls that are on their team at Beacon. As a result of this show, I know exactly what is going to happen starting from day before their first semester to the end of their second. The show hasn't made it beyond there yet."

"The dimensional travel, I can get, but Ruby is 15. She is only in her second year at Signal, and still has two years until she goes to Beacon." Taiyang protested.

"Believe me sir. Something will happen that will impress Professor Ozpin so much that he will not be able to help but let her attend Beacon early." I assured him

"If you insist." He mused.

Soon after , we reach a forest. We enter, and I immediately sense malevolent presences surrounding us. Suddenly, a boarbatusk comes into view. We all ducked out of the creature's view, and it passes without a sound. Five minutes pass, and we finally see a Beowulf in a clearing. Taiyang quickly knocks it out, and sets it up in a good position. He stands aside, and I approach the unconscious beast. I place my right hand on the front of its head and my left on the back, and, with great force and speed, push with my right arm, and pull with my left. An audible crack rings throughout the clearing, and the Grimm falls to the ground, its head hanging at a strange angle. The trio stared at me in amazement as we began our return journey to their home.

"I would suggest that you attend Signal for a year or so, but you have no formal training." Taiyang mused.

"That is not true, sir," I say, "I have mastered in two of the most deadly martial arts known to man: Krav Maga, and Tiger Style Kung Fu. I also designed my own martial art style, onojutsu, or 'Way of the Axe.'

"I stand corrected." Taiyang stated, "If you wish, you may start attending Signal in the fall. However, you will have to join the freshman until you prove to the staff that you can hold your own in combat."

"I believe I will take you up on that offer, Taiyang." I say

Over the next few weeks prior to the beginning of the fall semester at Signal, I begin developing my aura. I quickly learned to activate my semblance, which was electric generation and control. I would use it to zap any grimm that ventured out of the woods. I discovered that my maximum comfort current was 16 millamperes. That amount of current caused painful shocks, and started the process of losing muscular control. If I really pushed, I could generate 25 millamperes, which caused severe pain. I also began working on my weapon in the Xiao Long/Rose workshop. I made an axe out of reinforced steel with a small tesla coil made of gold, silver and copper in the head of the axe. I chose those specific metals due to their extreme electrical conductivity. The Tesla Coil would serve to amplify my semblance, and channel it out the top of the axe. The maximum current/voltage generated out of the axe head was 99 millamperes. At this level, death of the shocked person was probable by repertory arrest, which is the failure of the lungs to work properly. The axe would be a good weapon for me, yet I somehow knew that I preferred hand-to-hand combat for smaller Grimm.

2 months later

I attended Signal for a week, but it was soon realized that I was too powerful for any of the 14 to 17-year-olds. I was told that I should immediately go to Beacon. Luckily, the airships were leaving the next Monday, so I hadn't missed anything.

"I can't believe my baby sister is going to Beacon with me! This is the best day ever." Yang squealed, giving Ruby a bear hug. We are in the ship that is taking us to the actual school.

"Please stop." Ruby manages through Yang's grip.

"But I'm so proud of you!" Yan squeals again.

"Really, sis, it was nothing."

"What do you mean? It was incredible! Everyone at Beacon is going to think you're the bee's knees!" Yang says, incredulous. I snort.

"I don't want to be the bee's knees! I don't want to be any kind of knees. I just want to be a normal girl with normal knees." Ruby exclaims.

"What's with you? Aren't you excited?" Yang asks.

"Of course I'm excited. Its just I was moved ahead two years. I just don't want people to think I'm special or anything." Ruby says, defensively. I snort again.

"It's a little late for that, isn't it? I mean, only half of grade school, and already to the next level." I say to her.

"Oh looks who's talking, Mr. Only-Had-One-Week-At-Signal." Ruby retorts.

"Touché. Touché indeed." I say

Glynda Goodwitch begins her speech. Upon finishing everyone rushes over to the window to see the view. Behind us, a boy in body armor with a sword at his waist looks like he is about to throw up. I know immediately that he is Jaune Arc. His weapon of choice is Corecia Mors, a longsword, and a shield that can fold up into the scabbard. I turn my attention away from him, and back to the view. The ship has descended and is close to the docking bay. I hear a thud as the dock links to the doorframe, and the door slides open. As everyone is exiting, I see Jaune rush to the nearest respite bin, and emptying the contents of his stomach into it.

"You okay, man?" I ask him. He looks up in surprise.

"Yeah. I'm fine. I'm just a little motion sick," He responds, "I'm Jaune. What's your name?"

"I'm Mark," I say, "It's nice to meet you." Suddenly we hear an explosion. We look over, and see Ruby and a girl that must be Weiss Schnee, the heiress of the Schnee Dust Company. The pair seemed to be having a heated, one-sided conversation, with Ruby on the receiving end. I nodded my head towards the group, and Jaune &amp; O slowly moved into earshot.

"Hey, I said I was sorry princess." Ruby snapped

"Its heiress, actually," the girl in black said. I immediately recognized her to be Blake Belladonna. Faunus in disguise, and past member of the militant White Fang. "Weiss Schnee. Heiress to the Schnee Dust Company. One of the largest producers of energy propellant in the world."

Weiss smirks, "Finally. Some recognition!"

However, Blake was not finished. "The same company infamous for its controversial labor forces and questionable business partners."

Weiss huffs "Wha… How dare…" Ruby giggles as Weiss snatches the bottle of dust Blake is holding out of her hand and stalks off.

"I promise I'll make this up to you!" Ruby calls after her. She sighs. "I guess I'm not the only one having a rough first day. So, what's…" She turns to Blake, and sees her walking off as well. Ruby collapses to her knees, then to her back. "Welcome to Beacon." She says sarcastically. Jaune walks over to her, and stands over her.

"Hi. I'm Jaune." Jaune says, offering his hand.

"Ruby." Ruby says, taking it. As the duo stroll away, a blood red portal opens up next to me. Out steps a tall guy. He has hyena tail, and has doglike eyes.

I turn to him. "Zane? Is that you? Why do you look like a hyena?"


	4. Welcome to Beacon, Zane!

**I apologize for the delay in posting this. I am still in high school, so I am all worried about my grades and such. Well, I hope you enjoy the next installment of the story.**

"Hey Mark! I am a hyena Faunus." Zane says, "And you're part tiger."

"Yes. Yes I am. Its good to see you, bro." We did a quick bro hug, and began meandering around the campus grounds. I met the 6' 2" blonde in freshman year of Earth high school. We had been friends ever since.

"So, how long have you been here?" I asked my friend.

"About two weeks. In that time, I discovered my semblance is the creating of Gravitational Singularities. I also have my weapon." He unsheathes a Gladius, and flurries it. He slides a switch on the hilt, a barrel emerges from the tip, and an opening for a clip emerges from the bottom. He slides the switch to the third section, and the weapon changes into a L96A1 sniper rifle. I pull out my axe.

"This is my weapon. I call it Stormbreaker."

"Ooh. What's its gun form?" Zane asks.

"It doesn't necessarily have a separate form. However, it can do this." I say, with a smirk. I look down the handle of the axe, grab it with both hands, and channel my semblance through it. Out of the head of the axe bursts a jagged streak of bluish lightning.

'Woah." Zane exclaims.

"But wait. There's more." I exclaim in my best announcers voice. A trigger pops out of the hilt, and I bring the axe up to my eye. I pull the trigger to the first setting, and electricity begins to build up at the head of the barrel. I pull the trigger to the second settings, and a sphere of crackling electricity launches from the top of the axe. Zane stares in wonder.

We enter the school just in time for Ozpin's speech. When he was done talking about wasted energy and potential, Goodwitch says something about staying in a barn.  
"Please don't tell me we have to sleep on hay." I hear Zane mutter.

In the time before bed, we have a lot of free time. Zane and I part ways. He explores the school; I go to talk to Professor Ozpin. I tell him my story: I am from another dimension, and I came to this universe to explore.

"So you are telling me that you come from a universe that has an animated web show that takes place in this universe. The show follows a 'Team RWBY,' that at this moment in time does not exist yet. Tomorrow, however, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, Blake Belladonna, and Yang Xiao Long will collect the same relics and become a team." Ozpin queried.

"Yes. Also, since you probably don't believe me, the relics are chess pieces. I know you haven't told anyone that yet so…"

"Ok. I believe you. May I have some time to muse over the whole thing?"

"Of course, Professor."

Luckily we don't have to sleep on hay. The Barn turns out to be a building that all of the first years stay in before they are assigned to teams. Why they called it the barn was beyond me, but who was I to judge? Before I go to bed, I make sure to meditate briefly. Meditation helps me center my aura, which helps me control it better.

"Hey, Mark." Ruby saunters over to me "Whatcha' doing?" I finish my meditation, and stand.

"I was meditating," I tell her, "It helps me center my aura, which, in turn helps me control my semblance better. It also helps me increase the voltage." Ruby looks at me incredulously.

"You have trouble controlling your semblance?" Ruby gapes.

"Ruby, lightning is very wild. It isn't easy to control." I say matter-of-factly.

"That's true," she says, "If you'll excuse me, I'm going to write a letter to my friends back at Signal Academy." She walks away, flops down on her bedroll, and begins to write on a pad of paper. I lie down, and smile. Things in this universe seemed to be going as planned.

I awaken to the muffled chatter of people talking. I roll out of my sleeping bag and stand up. A few people are standing off to the side of the room, talking about the coming day. I see Nora Valkyrie, the sadistic hammer wielder, standing near the group. I know she is waiting for the right time to awaken Lie Ren, her childhood friend. I stretch, change into my jacket and boots, and brush my teeth with the toothbrush that Taiyang gave me. As I walk back into the main room of the barn, I see Nora waking Ren from his slumber, incessantly chattering the entire time.

"For years, you have trained to become warriors. And today, your abilities will be evaluated in the Emerald Forest." Ozpin tells us.

Professor Goodwitch picks up from there, "Now, I'm sure many of you have heard rumors about the assignment of teams. Well, allow us to put an end to your confusion. Each of you will be given teammates. Today." Ruby groans.

I begin to tune the rest of the speech out. I catch 'abandoned temple' and 'do not hesitate to destroy.' As Ozpin finishes his speech, and Jaune pipes up to ask about landing strategies, I whisper to Zane.

"You remember the plan?" I whisper.

"Of course. Use the tracker, and meet up somewhere. Proceed to the relics, grab one that the others won't, help the others slaughter the monsters, and come back here." He responds as Jaune is launched off the cliff.

"Good." I say, as I quickly get into position. It launches me into the air, and I shout with the adrenaline rush.

"Banzai!"


	5. The Test

**I hope you enjoy this latest installment.**

The tree shudders slightly as I land and jump off. I alight on the next tree, and continue on that path.

"You know that there is an easier way to travel, right?" I turn, and see Zane, using small sparks of his semblance to propel himself along.

"I know. This just works for me in the moment. How about we go down?"

"Ok." He responds. We descend to the forest floor, and begin walking in the direction we had been traveling.

"So, how are you liking Remnant so far?" I ask Zane. He scratches his head, appearing to be thinking.

"I don't know. I am getting back memories that don't correspond to the ones that I grew up with. I remember Grimm from when I was only a few months old, feeling an enormous strain and a tear appearing in the middle of the air." He stops, seemingly disturbed by the memories.

"I'm gonna' climb a tree and see where we are in comparison to the temple." I say, knowing that Zane needs time to ruminate the new memories. I climb the nearest tree, and look out over the tree line. I see that we are not far from the temple and drop to the forest floor.

"The temple is that way." I report to Zane, pointing in the direction of the temple.

3rd person POV

Blake and Yang walk onto the hillock overlooking the temple.

"You think this is it?" Yang asks. Blake rolls her eyes, and walks forward. Upon getting closer, they see two boys meditating on top of the structure. Yang recognizes one of them as Mark, but the other one, she does not recognize. She is about to call out to them, when the boy she does not recognize takes in a deep breath in through his nose. He nudges Mark with his elbow. "Hey Mark. I think…

…the first pair has arrived." Zane declares, breaking the silence. I know this to mean Blake and Yang. I crack one eye open, and see the blonde and black haired girls standing in the clearing.

"It would seem so," I close my eye. "How could you tell that it was them? I could just sense a presence besides yours."

Zane snorts. "Hyenas are canines. Canines have even better senses of smell and hearing than felines."

"I'm sorry to interrupt your little meditation session here, but is there a reason that you guys haven't headed back to the cliff yet?" Yang asks.

"Yang, that is a very good question," I say, opening my eyes, "The answer is that my combat sense is tingling."

"Hey you two, were there pedestals missing relics when you got here?" Blake inquires.

"Yes. Two pedestals were empty" Zane answers her, opening his eyes. Yang picks up the white knight piece.

"Hey Blake, how about the cute little pony?"

"Sure." Blake says with a small grin, before turning to us, "What piece did…" Before she could finish her sentence, a high-pitched scream pierces the air. Zane flinches, his enhanced hearing amplifying the noise.

"A girls in trouble! Blake, did you hear that?" Yang exclaims.

"Oh, Jaune. You _had_ to go into the cave." Zane sighs. Suddenly we hear a faint flapping overhead. Blake looks upward, and her eyes widen slightly. She begins to point up at the flapping. We all look up and see Ruby falling at high speeds towards the ground.

"Help meeeee!" She screams. Zane and I glance at each other, knowing what will happen next.

"Five…four…three…two…one." We both count. Upon reaching three, Jaune appers from the woods, flying as if he had been thrown. At one, Jaune slams into Ruby, launching them both into the trees.

"Did your sister just fall from the sky?" Blake asks Yang.

"I…" Yang begins. Before she can finish, a roar is heard from the woods, and an Uras emerges, flailing as if it had something on it that it wanted off. Shortly, there is a pink explosion from the Ursa's back, and it falls over to reveal whom else but Nora.

"Aw. It's broken." She complains. I turn to Zane.

"That gets not less awesome in real life." I tell him.

She examines the downed Grimm. Ren appears, out of breath, next to the beast.

"Nora… Please… Don't ever do that again." He tells her. However, he is speaking to mid-air, as Nora is already over by the relics. She picks up the white rook, and, putting it on her head, begins to chant "I'm queen of the castle."

"Nora."

"Coming, Ren."

"Before you ask Blake, yes, she did ride in on an Ursa," Zane tells the girl, "And before you ask, yes I just knew what you were going to say before you said it. Don't ask how I knew. It's complicated."

Suddenly, Pyrrha runs from the woods, with a Deathstalker on her tail. Ruby jumps down from the tree, leaving Jaune to continue to hang, upside down.

"Did she just run all the way here with a deathstalker on her tail?" Blake asks. Yang flips out, asking for everyone to calm down for at least two seconds.

"Um, Yang." Ruby points up at Weiss, who is still hanging from the talon of the Nevermore that is circling the temple.

Weiss proceeds to fall, Jaune catches her, and they both fall, Weiss landing on Jaune's back.

"My hero" She says sarcastically.

"My back" He groans. At that point Pyrrha is hit by the Deathstalker, and is sent flying to our feet.

"Great. The gang's all here. Now we can die together!" Yang exclaims cheerfully.

"Not if I can help it." Ruby says, determinately. She draws Crescent Rose, and charges the giant scorpion.

"Ruby, wait!" Yang exclaims.

"Yeah. Charging headfirst into battle is my thing," I exclaim, "Get your own trademark."

Yang turns to me. "You know that you're not helping, right."

I put my hands up in surrender as I jump off the pillars.

As we speak, Ruby gets pinned down by one of the Nevermore's quills. The Deathstalker approaches her, and is about to strike with its stinger, when Weiss freezes its stinger. They exchange a few words and return to the temple. Each team that had not previously collected a relic did so, and we began our return trek to the cliff.

We were surrounded. We had a Nevermore on one side, and an approaching Deathstalker on the other.

"Nora, distract it." Ren says, "Mark, do what you do best."

I am in the air as soon as he finishes. "On it!" As Nora's grenades explode around me, I use the force generated by my lightning to propel myself towards the giant raven. As I get closer, I draw back my fist, and bring it smashing down between the bird's eyes. At the same moment, one of Nora's grenades hits the bird's chin. Its eyes begin spinning, but soon recovered. The bird shrugged me off and I landed near the group fighting the Deathstalker. Zane rushed over to me.

"I'm going to help Team RWBY fight the Nevermore. My combat style is more suited for that."

"Go." I tell him. He turns and streaks away at top speed.

"Nora Smash!" Nora shouts, as she brings the head of her hammer crashing down on the head of the Deathstalker.

It attacked the bridge and we rush towards it. Pyrrha and Jaune attack in tandum, and Ren rushes towards the beast, grabbing onto its stinger, and firing into the joint. Nora fires two shots at the scorpion, without much effect. Pyrrha glances at me, and cocks back her arm. I nod, surround my hands with lightning, and, as she launches her spear, I hit the butt with the palms of my hands. The electrified spear shoots forward, and pierces the creature's eye. It hurls Ren off, and he slams into a wall.

"Ren!" Nora shouts

Jaune looks up and notices the scorpions stinger hanging off.

"Pyrrha!"

"Done." She says. She throws her shield, cutting off the stinger. It pierces the top of the Grimm, and it shrieks in pain.

"Nora, nail it." Jaune orders.

"Heads up," the redhead says. Pyrrha helps launch her launch herself into the air. I jump, and as Nora hits the stinger, I drive my 250 pounds of raw muscle and bone into the other end, driving the stinger even further into the Deathstalker.

We turn to watch RWBY battle the Nevermore. We are just in time to see Yang fire multiple shots into the bird's beak. She jumps out just before it crashes into the cliff. Ruby is launched at the Grimm, and runs it up the cliff, slicing its head off.

"That is even cooler in real life." Zane says to me.

"Word." I reply


	6. Everyone Can Always Learn More

"Blake Belladonna, Ruby Rose, Weiss Schnee, and Yang Xiao Long. The four of you retrieved the white knight pieces. From this day forward, you will work together as: Team RWBY. Lead by: Ruby Rose."

"I'm so proud of you!" Yang squeals.

"And finally, we have the team that has never happened before at Beacon, or in any other combat school. There is a team that is composed of only two students. Those students are Mark Nilakame and Zane Zwart."

We walk up onto the stage with pride. Ozpin continues

"The two of you collected the White King. From now on, you will work together as: Team NMZZ (Nemesis).

**THE NEXT MORNING**

A whistle blowing from the room next door awakens me. I look over at Zane to see the same happened to him. Unfortunately for Zane, he is closer, and his hearing is better.

"Thanks for waking us up, Ruby," I call to her.

I hear a muffle d "Your welcome," from next door.

We both get changed into our uniforms, and proceed to our first class with Professor Peter Port, which is Grimm Studies.

"Monsters, Demons, Prowlers of the night. Yes, the creatures of Grimm have many names. But I merely refer to them as prey." Port declares. As no one laughs with him, he skillfully ties it into his next sentence and continues to talk about the Grimm, how they would like to tear every human limb from limb, and that it is our job as huntsmen to stop it from happening. Port continues by telling a random story. From the show, I remember that in essence, it is about how he captured a Beowulf. A minute or so passes, and I looked down at the first row of seats, to see that it was almost time for the fight. Port was explaining the traits of a true huntsman. Ruby was doing the exact opposite. Weiss was seething and I could tell she was nearing her bursting point.

"So who among you believes themselves to be the embodiment of these traits?" Port asks the class.

"I do, sir." Weiss says, loudly. She steps down to prepare to face the Boarbatusk that I know is in the cage at the front of the room. Port opens the cage, and the beast charges the Ice Queen. She dodges, the Grimm wheels around and charges again. Myrtenaster becomes caught in the boar's tusks, and soon, the boar throws it away.

"What will you do without you weapon?" Port asks her. The beast charges her again, and Weiss jumps out of the way. The boar trips, and Weiss grabs her rapier.  
"Weiss, go for its belly. There's no armor underneath…" Ruby shouts to Weiss.

"Stop telling me what to do!" Weiss snaps at Ruby. The boar rolls into a ball, and steamrolls at her. Weiss makes a glyph that stops the creature short, and flings it onto its back. Weiss slashes its stomach, and it squeals and dies.

"Bravo. Bravo. We indeed have a true huntress-in-training in our presence. Remember to do the required readings, and stay vigilant. Class dismissed." I turn to Zane.

"You want to talk to Ruby with Ozpin, or to Weiss with Port?" I ask him.

"I'll take Ruby." He says, and rushes out.

I walk out onto the balcony as I hear Weiss say "So you would blindly follow him even after seeing how exceptional I am?"

"With all due respect, your skill on the battle field is matched only with your poor attitude." Port responds.

"How dare you."

"My point exactly. I see a girl before me who has spent her entire life getting exactly what she wanted."

"That's not even remotely true." Port raises an eyebrow. "Well, not entirely true." Weiss corrects herself. I snort and walk out of the shadows.

"Excuse me for interrupting, but Weiss, stop lying. We all know that last statement is a flat out lie. You're an heiress to a multi-million-lien company that produces and refines the most valuable and powerful material in the world. I think your father can afford whatever you ask for, whenever you ask for it. But that is beside the point. The way you are acting isn't going to change anything. These people are not your father. They have no personal connection to you, so they will not automatically give you anything. Besides, you are here to learn. If that means taking the backseat and not leading, so be it."

"I couldn't have said it better myself," Port says, "So instead of fretting what you don't have, savor what you do. Hone your skills, perfect every technique, and be not the best leader, but the best person you can be." Weiss smiles.

"Professor, that was very well said, I must say." I tell him.

"Thank you." He responds to me.

I return to my room, and ask Zane how his conversation went.

"I think it went well. I help spring boarded off of what Ozpin was saying…

**Zane's POV, 30 minutes earlier**

I hear Ruby and Weiss arguing, but I can't quite make out what they are saying. I hear Weiss stalk away, just as I get in range.

"Well, that didn't seem to go very well, did it?" I hear Ozpin stating the obvious.

"Is she right? Did you make a mistake?" Ruby asks the headmaster.

"That remains to be seen."

"What do you mean?" Ruby inquires

"I mean, it's only been one day. Ruby, I've made more mistakes than any man, woman and child on this planet. But at this moment, I would not consider your appointment to leader to be one of them. Do you?"

I step out of the shadows. "I don't think so. I mean, from what Mark has told me about you, you seem like the prime choice to be the leader of your team. Being a team leader is not just a title you carry into battle, but also a badge you wear constantly. If you are not performing at your absolute best, what reason do you give others to follow you?"

"My point exactly. You've been burdened with a daunting responsibility, Ruby. I advise you take some time to think about how you will uphold it," Ozpin advises Ruby. "By the way, Zane, that was very well said."

"Thank you, professor. I must say the same about your advice." I respond in kind.

**Mark's POV-Present**

"Well, it seems we've helped to advance the story." I say. Upon finishing, I hear the door close next door. I peel my door open slightly, and see Weiss walking by. I close the door, and turn to Zane.

"Speak of the Devil."


	7. Prepare Yourself for a Beat Down!

**A/N: I apologize for the length of time between chapters.**

Jaune and Carden are fighting. Zane and I know Carden will win, but it is still interesting to watch. After Carden is done beating up Jaune, Professor Goodwitch informs us that in a tournament, the official would call the match and dismisses the class. Zane and I get up and walk out, heading for the lunchroom.

"I kinda' feel bad for Jaune. I mean, he is a great guy. He is always going to picked on by Carden." Zane says to me.

"Well, until the time in the forest." I correct him.

"That's true." At that point we have reached the cafeteria, and we sit down with Teams RWBY and JNPR.

Nora begins her story. "So, there we were, in the middle of the night.

"It was day." Ren corrects her.

"We were surrounded by Ursai." Nora continues.

"They were Beowolves."

"Dozens of them!" Nora says, standing up and raising her voice to emphasize her point

"Two of 'em."

"But they were no match. And in the end, Ren and I took them down, and made a boatload of lien selling Ursa skin rugs!" Nora finishes.

"She's been having the same reoccurring dream for nearly a month now." Ren declares.

"Jaune, are you ok?" Pyrrha asks.

"Yeah, why?" He asks

"It just that you seem, I don't know, not ok." I tell him.

"Yeah." Ruby says. Jaune, of course, reassures us that he is fine, and smiles. We hear laughing, and I look behind me to find the source. What I see makes my vision flash red.

Team CRDL is picking on Velvet Scarletina. Over the throbbing of my rage-fueled adrenaline, I hear the table where my hands are creak. I look down do see the wood buckling. Ruby comments that Carden is a bully, but Jaune, of course, denies is.

"Jaune, you know if you ever need help, you can just ask." Pyrrha tells him.

"Ooh. We'll break his legs!" Nora says excitedly

I stand up.

"Well, since Nora said it, I'm going to do it. Thanks for the idea, Nora."

"Your welcome." The redhead smiles.

Zane smiles as I walk over to Carden, "Hey, jackass." I hear everyone on Team RWBY and JNPR face palm. Carden slowly turns to me.

"Are you talking to me, animal?" A low growl escapes my throat.

"I challenge you to a duel. Me. You. Five minutes."

"I see you, and raise it. Both of our teams verse each other." Carden retorts. I frown, turn to Zane, and raise an eyebrow.

"I'll leave this one to you, buddy," Zane says, giving a sinister grin, "It'll be good practice." I nod and turn to Carden.

"You heard the man. Me against your entire team. Five minutes. Be there, or I will find you, and beat the ever-loving shit out of all four of you." Carden stands, and towers over me.

"You're on, punk."

Everyone enters the combat training room. Team CRDL is on the combat stage, while I am still stretching, preparing for the beat down that I know will be happening. As Ruby walks in, she hurries over to me.

"Are you sure you want to do this?" She worriedly asks me.

"I couldn't be more sure of anything, " I respond as I pull Stormbreaker out of my jacket, and hand it to her, "Hold this for me while I put the beat down on those four."

"You would trust me with your weapon?" She asks, incredulously.

"Ruby, even though I have only known you for two weeks, I have come to realize that you are a very trustworthy person. So, yes, I would trust you to hold Stormbreaker." I tell her confidently. She takes the hilt delicately, being careful not to activate it.

"I wonder what teachers would say if they saw this." I hear Weiss ask, under her breath. As if on cue, Port walks into the room with a bucket of popcorn. Everyone stares at him.

"What? I'm here to see a good fight, just like the rest of you. Unlike you however, I remembered popcorn." Port declares, dropping himself into the nearest chair

I walk up onto the stage, where Team CRDL is waiting. I drop my jacket in a bin that is nearby and lower myself into the most basic Kung Fu stance that I ever learned.

"Just to be courteous, I am going to give you the first shot." I tell them. Carden grins evilly, and charges, mace prepared to strike. As soon as he gets within reaching distance, I put one hand on top of the other, and put a well-placed palm strike between his pectorals. His legs fly forward, and his body collapses onto the stage, dazing him. I pry his mace from his hands, and turn to the RDL of CRDL.

"Who's next?" I ask with a sadistic grin on my face. Russell, Dove, and Sky all charge me at once. I calm begin to swing the mace over my head, and with the momentum, bring it crashing into the torsos of all three teens. With my enhanced strength, this sends them bowling into each other.

"Steee-rike." I call. I turn back to Carden and lift him up by the front of his shirt.

"If I see you or your cronies, _ever_, picking on a Faunus, bad-mouthing a Faunus, or hurting the reputation or physical well being of a Faunus of any kind, in any way, you will have to answer to me," I turn to the crowd, "These four need to go to whatever form of medical care there is at this school. Especially this one, since I think his chest is broken." I drop Carden on the stage, and retrieve my jacket from the bin. As I put it on, I hear the clap. I turn towards the audience to see Zane has stood and begun to clap. As I watch, Blake stands and begins to clap as well. Ruby and Weiss do as well. I am surprised about Weiss, knowing her racism towards Faunus. The entirety of Team JNPR stands and begins to applaud. One by one, the entire student body in attendance stands, and adds to the building applause. I bow, and step down from the platform.

"To be perfectly honest, that felt really good. And on my birthday too!" I tell Ruby and Zane.

"To be even more honest, I was not at all surprised that you won. And Happy Birthday." Zane responds.

"Yeah, Happy Birthday, Mark!" Ruby said.

"Thank you. Hold on for a second, guys. I want to try something that occurred to me and I want you to be here. Why, you ask? In case I pass out, someone will be here to pull me to the doctor." I pull out an uncut lightning dust crystal, chomp into it, and begin chewing. Both of my companions stare at me as if I am insane.

"What? You're looking at me as if I'm insane. Well, to be fair, I _am_ insane, but just a little." I say, swallowing.

"You just _ate dust_. Another thing no one has ever done before. When did you think about that?" Ruby declared, in amazement.

"There's a first time for everything, I guess. It came to me a few days ago. I'm an elemental, and since dust is elemental, I figured, y'know, why not." I say nonchalantly, as we continue walking. A few seconds later, I felt a burning in my stomach. I stop, and hold my gut.

"What's wrong?" Ruby asks with concern.

"I don't know," I say with a grimace, "Must have been something I ate."

"Maybe it was the half a dust crystal." Zane tells me smugly.

"Maybe it'll make me more powerful." I say, hopefully.

"As if you need more power." Ruby scoffs.

"Yeah, about that. I am not nearly as powerful as I said I was," I admitted, gritting my teeth in pain, "My striking power is more on par with cracking concrete than bending steel and I am _very_ insecure with my semblance. It's hard to control, and I risk hurting those I care about when I use it. That is one of the main reasons that I meditate." Ruby and Zane look at me in skepticism.

"You don't believe me, do you?" I say, picking up on the cues, "Each of you, tell me one time that I have used my raw semblance in front of you, or any person."

"Well, there was the time that you showed me your weapon." Zane reminded me.

"Yes, but I used my axe to channel it. That makes it easier to use." I tell them.

"That's true." Zane said. Ruby gave me her hand to help me up, and I took it. Immediately, she jerked away in pain.

"You shocked me!" Ruby exclaimed, "That has never happened before."

"Maybe I did gain some power." I muse. As I work to suppress it, I feel the power draining from my body. Simultaneously, I feel my scroll buzz. I pull it out, and check my messages.

"It would seem that Ozpin wants us in the combat simulation room." I tell Zane.

"Beacon has a combat simulation room?" Ruby asks.

"It seems so." Zane tells her.


	8. Fear the Berserker Mode

**A/N: I apologize for the length of time between chapters. I have had a lot of stuff going on, with my Eagle Project and school, etc. But, to quote a personal friend, Fenrir's Phantom (Check him out. It'll be worth it. Zane is also based off of him.) "You're not here to hear the sob story that is my life." I hope you you enjoy the most recent addition to the adventures of Zane and Mark.**

Zane and I stand in a holo-sim room. It is somewhat like the Matrix, as in our bodies are in a room somewhere, but our minds are in the computer. I was nervous at first, but was assured that, it was impossible to disconnect our bodies, and in case the power went out, the computer had an internal battery to keep the power running for long enough to remove the occupants.

The program generates a situation that provides training for the user. That feature was much like the X-Men's Danger Room. The program has placed us on a hill overlooking a field. Populating the field is hundreds of Grimm.

Zane turns to me, "How many would you say there are?"

"It looks like there are at least three hundred Beowolves. Maybe four." I muse.

"There are also 100 Ursa Major, 100 Ursa Minor, two deathstalkers, a nevermore, and a double-headed snake thingy. I always forget what those are called."

"King Tajitu." I remind him.

"Ah. Right. What do you think?" he asks me.

"I think… they should have come with at least twice as many. At least." I tell him, matter-of-factly.

"Of course you take the 'We could take more' approach. So, if we are going to survive this, we need to have a plan." Zane was the strategist of the duo.

"Do you remember how we used to play Halo in Firefight mode?

Zane's POV

"Just like old times, eh?" I say, turning to Mark position "So, what is the actual pla…" Unfortunately for me, Mark is no longer next to me. My head whips to gaze down the hill, and see him him running top speed towards the Grimm, axe drawn.

I sigh and say, "'Reckless Charge' it is then." I whip out my rifle and started taking shots at Grimm.

3rd person POV

Outside the simulation room, Team RWBY, Professors Ozpin and Goodwitch watch the fight on screens.

"So, he was serious about that strategy." Blake said.

"I guess so. I mean, if they just have two team members, it would make sense that they have a combat plan already in place after only a day." Weiss responds.

Mark's POV

I hear cracks ripple through the air, and, seeing Beowolves on the front line fall, know that Zane has started his part of the task. I am 15 feet away from the first Grimm when I electrify my axe, and prepare to begin slicing.

I am on them before they know what hit them, plowing through the Beowolves as if they are bowling pins. As I slash the head of one off, I punch another. I take my axe with both hands, and begin chopping through the Grimm as if they are trees. I cut through at least 20 of them when suddenly they freeze. My vision blurs, and I am suddenly standing on the hill next to Zane, who is looking just as confused as I am.

"Uh, what just happened?" he asks me. As if to respond to my question, Team RWBY appeared next to us, "Oh. That's what happened." Seconds after Zane had finished speaking, the Grimm began charging towards again.

"Lets do this, shall we?" I say.

"Agreed!" Ruby says.

The battle is going to be intense. I aim for the Nevermore first. As Team RWBY is charging down the hill, I get down in a near full Tim Tebow pose and launch myself off the hill, landing on top of the Nevermore's head. I place one hand on its skull and use my other hand to point at where I assume its heart to be.

"Clear!" I shout, and begin coursing my semblance through my hands. Lightning crackles through the air, courses through the Grimm's brain and heart. This causes it to shriek, which turns out to be its undoing. Since my assault is continuing on, the electricity generated arcs into its mouth and destroys some of its internal organs. I feel a lurch as the bird begins to fall from the sky. I jump off and land on a few Beowolves, who are nice enough to cushion my fall.

I begin swinging wildly, taking out Grimm after Grimm. I decapitate one, and slice through another at the waist. I put away my axe, and start punching my way through the hoards. I must have turned around at some point, as I soon find myself facing the hill once again.

"Mark, look out!" Zane shouted. An Ursa Major had snuck up behind me and was preparing to strike. I turned just in time to see a black paw rushing towards my chest. I was hurled backwards into the hill, making a small crater. I got to my feet, to see Ruby kill the Ursa that had hit me and rush to my side.

"Mark, are you hurt?" she asked.

"No. I'm fine, but..." I say, rubbing my head. Suddenly, I heard a high-pitched laugh coming from higher up on the hill.

3rd person POV

Team RWBY and Mark see Zane advancing towards the Grimm, a psychotic grin on his face. His eyes glowed red, his gladius is in his hand and his shoulders are shuddering with laughter. Everyone stopped, even the Grimm. Team RWBY walked over to where Ruby and Mark are standing. Ruby glanced at Mark, and did a double take as she saw the one emotion that she had never seen from him before. It was something that she hoped to never see again. Mark Nilakame, the stoic tiger Faunus, was afraid.

Mark's POV

"Go. Get out of here," I said urgently, "I'll let him fill you in later. Just go." I can tell my voice is filled with fear, as Team RWBY immediately nod simultaneously, and begin running.

We ran for our lives. We stopped only when we were multiple football fields away then turned to watch the carnage. Zane had his gladius drawn, and we could visibly see his aura glowing around him. He lowered himself into a running stance, and shot forward, still laughing. He spun, twirled, slicined and stabbed into the Grimm. Waves upon waves fell to his blade, all dismembered in one way or another. Eventually, when there are only a few dozen Beowolves left, he pointed his palm towards the monsters. Reddish energy streamed from his palm, and collected into a spiraling nebula. Zane drew his hand into a near full fist and the Beowolves are sucked in. I began to feel the pull of what I guessed was a gravitational singularity on myself. Just as soon as it had started, Zane pull his hand into a full fist, crushing the monsters in the unbreakable gravitational pull. Even from the distance we are at, we hear the crunch of the monsters bodies crumbling under the force of the intense gravity. I glance over at Team RWBY, to see that all four of them had looked away for the final part.

My vision begins blurring before my eyes as we exited the simulation.

"Mark, were you actually afraid?" Ruby asks incredulously.

"I don't want to talk about it." I mutter as I stride off, my jacket trailing behind me.

Later that night, at dinner

Teams NMZZ, RWBY and JNPR are sitting at a table together, surrounded by an awkward silence. It is Yang who finally breaks the ice.

"So, what happened in there?" Yang asks Zane.

Zane sighed, and began explaining, "It all started when I was about four years old. And yes, before you ask, I remember back to then. Anyway, that night, thirteen years ago, my family was attacked by Beowolves. Even though my parents were huntsman, the Grimm caught them by surprise, so they had no time to react. They were killed in front of me. When people came to investigate, I hid from them. The next day, when the grief and the trauma became too much, I started screaming, and my semblance sparked, creating such a powerful singularity that my house was completely destroyed. It was my first berserker mode. I didn't stay that way for long, as the grief soon overcame the anger, and I just broke down crying. The authorities found me in the rubble, and put me in an orphanage. I met Mark there, and we became close friends. As to what causes it, as far as I can tell, if I see someone that I care about hurt, I snap. Also, if I am put under too much stress, I start giggling sadistically, but I don't start killing people."

"It's so sad that you have to go through that," Yang said, frowning, "By the way, Mark, I didn't know you are an orphan."

"Yeah. I lost my parents and sister about the same time Zane did." I reply sadly. I, of course, am completely lying. My parents and sister are perfectly fine.

"Well, both of you, I'm sorry you had to go through all that. However, I'm gonna turn it for the night. We do have classes tomorrow, and I don't want to fall asleep." Blake says. She stands, and exits the room.

I text Zane _"__Yeah. We wouldn't want her curling up in her seat, now would we?" _I attach an image of a curled up, sleeping cat to the text, and send it off. Seconds later, Zane's scroll buzzes, and he takes it out to view the message. The corner of his mouth curls into a grin as he sees the text.

"I believe I will join Blake." Yang declares.

Zane starts to stand up to agree, and I join him. He glares at me, obviously pissed. I am completely oblivious to whatever he is trying to tell me. Suddenly, it dawns on me. He wants to be alone with Yang. I slowly lower myself back to the sitting position and Zane and Yang exit the room. Ten minutes pass, and the conversation between me, Ruby and Weiss slowly seems to be weaning. We all stand up, and exit the room, in order to get some well needed shut-eye.


	9. Jaune's Revelation

"…Humankind was quite adamant about centralizing Faunus population in Menagerie. While this may seem like ancient history to many of you, it is imperative to remember that these are relatively recent events. Why, the repercussions of the uprising can still be seen to this day." Oobleck is chattering away about Faunus history. I know that I should be paying attention since I am one of them now, but it is simply hard, since I know that I can just find the speech online. Suddenly, I hear laughing. Jaune had answered incorrectly about the advantage that the Faunus had at the Battle of White Castle. The professor asks Carden the same question. When he speaks down about faunus, everyone's head turns to look up at me.

"I'll let it slide." I say absently.

"You aren't the most open minded of individuals, are you, Carden." Pyrrha asks.

"What, you got a problem?" Carden responds in kind.

"No. But I do have the answer. Its night vision. Many faunus are known to have nearly perfect vision in the dark." Pyrrha responds. Carden growls.

"General Lagoom was inexperienced and made the mistake of trying to attack the Faunus in their sleep. His massive army was outmatched, and the general was captured. Perhaps if he had paid attention in class, he wouldn't be remembered as such a failure." Blake says, haughtily. Carden lunges to his feet as Zane and I join in the crowd 'Ooh'ing at the diss.

"Mr. Winchester, please take your seat. You and Mr. Arc can see me after class for additional readings. Well, moving on."

As we all exit the classroom, I pass Jaune.

"I really will break his legs for you." I mutter to the blonde. He nods in recognition.

Zane's POV

I am sitting on the roof that night, listening to Jaune and Pyrrha talk. Jaune soon reveals all, that he doesn't belong at Beacon, and how he feels that he does not want to be the one who is being helped. As Pyrrha leaves, I steel myself for the blackmail that is about to occur. Carden climbs up to the roof, and blackmails the ever loving daylights out of the guy.

As he leaves, I hear him mutter to himself "And this time neither the tiger or the hyena are here to help him."

"Well, that was harsh." I say as I jump down from the roof.

"Zane! How long have you been there?" Jaune asks me, obvious fear in his voice.

"I heard the entire thing. Don't worry, I already knew about your secret. I've known since the beginning of school."

"How is that possible?" Jaune asks, incredulous.

"I'm a hyena Faunus. I have an incredible nose. You've been releasing brain chemicals associated with stress, fear, and nerves since the beginning." I tell him. Of course, this is a blatant lie. Since I remember this scene from the show on Earth, I knew about Jaune's transcript since even before I came to Remnant, "I want to tell you something, Jaune, and I want you to remember it, and think on it. The brave man admits he has a weakness. The braver man admits he needs help in overcoming his weakness. You have admitted your weakness by telling Pyrrha that you are untrained. In order to get to the next step, and become better, you need to ask for help. Remember, all heroes have weaknesses. What makes them heroes is not denying their weaknesses, but accepting them, and continuing fighting despite them." I smile at him, turn, and walk away.

"Get some rest, Jaune. You'll need it tomorrow." I say to him over my shoulder.

Mark's POV

"Hey. It's your buddy Carden. I know you're probably busy with that Dust project I gave you, but I'm gonna need you to go out and get me a bag of rapier wasps." I hear Carden say over Jaune's scroll as Jaune gasps. "And make sure they've got some really big stingers. It's important, so don't screw this up." Jaune sighs.

"Man, he is an asshole." I say.

"Couldn't you just, I don't know, beat him up again?" Jaune asks me.

"I would love to, but I think a fractured sternum and two dislodged ribs is enough for today, don't you think?"


	10. The Forest of Forever Fall

"Yes, students, the Forest of Forever Fall _is_ beautiful, but we are not here to sightsee. Professor Peach has asked all of you to gather samples from the trees deep inside the forest, and I am here to make sure that none of you die while doing so." Professor Goodwitch announces to us as she leads us through the red forest.

"Well, that will sure make us all feel better." I mutter to Ruby and Zane, who both snickered. I lean over to Zane,

"If I get maimed, blame Bowser," He looks at me in confusion, "Y'know, because Professor Peach asked us to get the sap, and she shares a name with Princess Peach from Mario." Zane's eyes light up in understanding.

Professor Goodwitch continues. "Each of you is to gather one jar full of red sap. However, this forest is full of the creatures of Grimm, so be sure to stay by your teammates. We will rendezvous back here at four-o'clock. Have fun."

"C'mon buddy. Let's go." Carden said to Jaune. I sigh as the pair march away, already knowing that it won't end well.

We quickly collect the tree required tree sap, and proceed to hang out with Team RWBY when they are finished. Suddenly, I hear a growl carried by the wind. I turn to Zane.

"Did you just growl?" I ask him.

"No. I was about to ask you the same question."

Suddenly, another roar is heard.

"Ok, that was definitely not me. Or my stomach, for that matter." I tell everyone. Just then, the RDL of Team CRDL runs through the forest, shouting "_Ursa!_"

Russell bumps into Yang, who hoists him off the ground, demanding, "Where!?" The terrified teen points towards the hill. I immediately take off at a full sprint.

We arrive in time to see the Ursa tower over Carden. It takes a swipe at him, but Jaune gets under the creature's strike just in time and blocks it. I look over at Pyrrha, and see she is surprised for some reason.

"Why are you surprised?" I ask her, "Jaune may not be the most trained student, but he does have the potential."

"That's true." Pyrrha admits. As Weiss prepares to charge in, Zane puts his arm in front of her, and shakes his head.

"He needs to prove to himself that he can be a warrior." He tells her.

The Ursa swipes three times at Jaune. The third strike is a lucky one, and manages to make contact, sending Jaune flying. The teen gets back up and charges back in, leaping into the air to land a hit. The Ursa, somehow using a principle of Aikido, dodges and strikes Jaune on the back, using his momentum to propel him past. I see him check his aura gauge. Despite being on red, he charges in again to deliver a finishing blow. The Ursa does the same, and I instinctively know that he is going about the strike wrong. Pyrrha suddenly raises her hand, and, using her semblance of polarity, shifts Jaune's shield to take the impact. After, Jaune swings his blade through and cuts the Grimm's head clean off. I grin, and begin to walk away as Weiss and Ruby question Pyrrha as to how she did what she did. As I get about a foot away, another growl rings through the forest.

"Another one?" Jaune exclaims.

"Nope. That one was my stomach," I respond sheepishly, "I skipped lunch."

"Who are you, and what did you do with Mark?" Zane asks, pointing accusingly at me.

**Jaune's POV (That Night)**

I walk up to the roof to think, Zane's proverb echoing in my head. '_The brave man admits he has a weakness. The braver man admits he needs help in overcoming his weakness.'_ I sigh.

"I need help." I mutter to myself.

"No Carden tonight?" Pyrrha asks, ascending to the roof, "I thought you two were best buds."

"Pyrrha, I'm sorry. I was a jerk," I tell her, "You were only trying to be nice, and I had all this stupid macho stuff in my head…"

"Jaune," she interrupts me, "It's ok. Your team really misses their leader, you know," She begins walking away, "You should come down. Ren made pancakes. Without syrup though. You can thank Nora for that."

"Wait," I call to her, "Zane was right. I already admitted my weakness. So, Pyrrha, as much as I don't deserve it, would you still be willing to help me become a better fighter?" She walks over and pushes me to the ground.

"Hey," I complain.

"Your stance is all wrong. It needs to be wider and lower to the ground," She said as she helps me up, "Let's try it again."

"Before we do, what do you think is up with Mark's recent outfit change?" Jaune said. The 5'4" tank had recently removed the sleeves of his trench coat.

"I don't know. The look is out of the ordinary, but I think it suits him."


	11. The Village

Mark's POV

Two weeks passed rather uneventfully. Every night, Jaune and Pyrrha would ascend to the roof to train. How he hadn't noticed that she had feelings for him was beyond me, but I wasn't in any place to judge.

I spend a lot of my free time either with Zane, Ruby, or in Beacon's workshop. In the workshop, I began building motorcycles for Zane and myself. Zane's was slightly complicated, but was easy enough. My bike, however, was more complex. Technically, it was more of a monocycle. There was only one wheel in the back, and a gravitational force generator in the front, that Zane had kindly sparked, that was enough to keep it off the ground. I had also rigged the wheel to split in half so it could hover at low altitudes. I also had a device that I could add to the side of the bike that, at the press of a button, a hovering sidecar folded out.

I often took short rides around town to clear my head.

In the third week since the trip to the Forest of Forever Fall, I had begun to train in Beacon's gym. I had just started my training regimen for the day when my scroll buzzed. It was from Ozpin, telling me to get to his office immediately. I hurried up to his office, meeting Zane on the way.

"Do you have any idea what this is about?" I ask him.

"Not a clue."

We arrive at Ozpin's office to find Team RWBY already in attendance.

"Aah. Our resident Faunus have arrived. Now we can get started," Ozpin stated, "Recently, towns in eastern Vale have been under attack. It is not the work of any Grimm on record, or the White Fang. What we _do_ know is that, whatever it is, it's extremely dangerous. Several huntsmen have been dispatched to deal with the issue, and none of them have returned. That is why you are here."

"Sorry to interrupt here, but I want to get something straight. You want to send six huntsmen-in-training to take on an enemy that several fully trained huntsmen couldn't handle?" Zane inquires, nervously.

"Essentially," Ozpin affirmed, "The bogie was last seen in the town of Cadanor. Based on the trajectory of wrecked towns, the authorities believe that it is heading towards…Eisencrad. Godspeed to the six of you." I could tell that was our queue to leave. I stand up and say "I'll meet you guys in the garage. I'm just gonna change quickly."

Ozpin's POV

As Teams RWBY and NMZZ leave my office, I sigh. I was fully aware that it is irresponsible for me to send six students on a mission that could kill them. However, I was running out of options, and I knew that if anyone is going to defeat this new threat, it would be the two teams that had just left my office.

Mark's POV

Fortunately for us, the garage is fairly empty. The only vehicles that are in it are Team NMZZ's bikes, Yang's bike, and some spares, in case they were needed. Weiss and Blake grabbed two of the spares while Zane, Yang and I went over to our personal vehicles, with Ruby followed me.

"Yang, toss me a helmet, would ya," Ruby shouts to her stepsister. Yang complies, and Ruby, after putting on her headgear, walks over to me, "Mind if I ride with you?"

"Hop on," I tell her, "However, I am legally obligated to tell you that I prefer to drive at speeds that are not the safest for people."

"Dude, I run so fast, it looks like I teleport." Ruby reminds me, sounding slightly exasperated. I concede, and move my tail so it would be more comfortable for both of us. I proceed to insert the sidecar constructor device to the side of my bike, just in case.

"Before you get on, take this communicator. I designed it to merge with whatever helmet the user is wearing. Just stick it where your ear would be," I give Ruby the low down on the usage of the device, "Lightly click your teeth to activate it. The same thing to deactivate it."

"Ok," She said. I give everyone else a communicator, and tell everyone else the same thing.  
"Also, clicking your teeth twice will broadcast to everyone. If you wish to talk to one person, say their name after clicking your teeth."

We mount our bikes, and ride off towards Eisencrad.

We were five minutes into our ride when a broadcast message came over the communicator from Blake.

"Accept message." I intone.

"Hey, I was wondering. Do you want to head to Cadanor first to see the destruction this thing is capable of, and maybe see if we can find out what exactly it is we're dealing with?"

"That makes sense. I'm in," Ruby declares, "Weiss, Yang?"

"I'm in," they both said

"Good. Zane and Mark, what about you?" she asks us.

"I don't see why not." Zane said.

"Me neither," I agree, "Set course for Cadanor!"

TEN MINUTES LATER

An alert pops up on my HUD, telling me that Ruby requests a private chat. I comply, and I hear her voice over the speaker.

"Hey Mark, I was wondering something."

"What's up?"

"Why do you think Ozpin sent two new teams to deal with this threat? I mean, we're good and all, but we're not that good. Are we?"

"I don't know, Ruby. I really don't know. I mean, at least we have the headmaster's vote of confidence. Well, we can't really worry about that now, can we? I mean, I see the town now." I switch to group communication, "Don't by fazed by what you see. We were sent here to do a job, so let's do it."

We arrive in Cadanor, and dismount to a gruesome sight. Only five houses are still standing, and they have the fronts torn off. One or two houses are on their sides, and five more have large slash marks through them. The rest of the village is completely destroyed.

"Wow. This is worse than I thought it would be." I declare.

"Look who's being fazed by what they see now." Weiss said smugly.

"Don't patronize me, Ice Queen."

"Hey!"

"Alright, we'll split up into groups and explore. Come back here in 30 minutes. If you find anything, just call on your scroll. If you hear a roar, come back here."

We split into groups: Me and Ruby, Zane and Yang, and Blake and Weiss. We go off in different directions to search for survivors or what we are up against.

Zane's POV

Yang and I wander down street after street, finding nothing but wrecked buildings and splintered wood.

"Zane, look! Footprints!" Yang exclaims, grabbing my arm. She's right. A trail of oversized footprints crosses our path. The bogie seemed to have busted right through one house, and into another.

"Well, whatever it is, it isn't human. I mean…

Mark's POV

…look at the size of these buggers." I say. Unbeknownst to either party, we discovered a set of tracks the same size at the same time. The creature seems to have two differently shaped feet. One foot looks like an average human footprint, the size of the average adult male; the other is much bigger and has a talon on the end of each toe.

"What kind of creature has feet like this?" Ruby asks, rhetorically.

"I am fully aware that that question was rhetorical, yet I will submit my opinion anyway. I have never seen anything like this before," I tell her, "Unless it's a deformed human or Faunus, it has to be a new Grimm that no one is aware of." We continue walking, and eventually reach the edge of the village, and, luckily, our 15-minute mark.

"We should start heading back." Ruby tells me. We cross to the next street, and walk back along that way.

Blake's POV

We have just begun to head back when we pass one of the houses that were not completely destroyed. Suddenly, I hear a faint whisper coming from under a pile of rubble next to the house.

"Please. Help me,"

I put my arm in front of Weiss to stop her, and put my finger in front of her mouth to keep her from saying anything.

"I heard something next to the house. Maybe it's a survivor." I say, softly.

"What if it's whatever did this?" she asks me.

"In that case, we'll run." I respond. We enter the alleyway, and begin searching. Nearly immediately, I hear Weiss call to me.

"Uh, Blake… You may want to come here."

I rush over to her. Weiss is kneeling next to a particularly heavy-looking pile of debris. Sticking out is the head of a woman. She is in her mid to late 20s, and has red hair. She is beautiful, except she currently has snow-white skin, and looks like she has seen something terrible.

"Excuse me, ma'am, but who are you?" Weiss asks

The woman turns her head, and whispers, "Please, get this off of me. But you shouldn't have come."

"We need to get you to safety," I tell her. I pull out Gambol Shroud and slice away the boards, as Weiss freeze-smashes the concrete.

"How are we going to do anything else? Neither of us are strong enough to lift her on our own." Weiss reminds me.

"I think I have an idea." I say with a smirk.

Zane's POV

We have all assembled in the town square, and are waiting on Blake and Weiss. Just then, my scroll begins buzzing, so I pick it up.

"Hello. Oh hey, Blake. We're waiting for you…you found a… looks terrified… and you need a pickup. I'm on my way." Zane said through the phone, hangs up, and turns to us "They found a survivor. They want us to come get her. Cmon Mark, we have someone to save.

Mark's POV

Zane and I mount our motorcycles, grab Blake and Weiss's helmets, and ride off in the direction that the pair went. Soon enough, we see Weiss standing in front of a house that is mostly intact.

"What we got, Weiss?" Zane asks her, as we dismount.

"It's strange," the girl in white said, leading us around the house, "The only sign of trauma that she displays is snow white skin, the ability to only whisper, and minor bruising. Besides that, she seems fully intact." We arrive at a location where Blake is staying, and see the woman that Weiss is talking about holding a blanket around herself.

"Ma'am, are you hurt?" I ask her.

"Not badly, no." She whispers.

"We found her lying under a pile of debris."

I pull out my scroll, and call Ozpin, "Hey, professor. We need a medical Bullhead in Cadanor."

"I thought you were going to Eisencrad?"

"We just wanted to check out the damage that this thing could cause."

"That's fair. The bullhead is on its way."

I hang up with the principle, and turn to my companions.

"A bullhead is on its way to pick her up." I point my thumb at the woman, "Let's head back to the others. The pilot will see us there." I pick up the woman in an over-the-shoulder carry as we begin our descent to our bikes. I slow Blake down for a second.

"I need to talk to you. You ride with me." She raises an eyebrow, but nods. We mount up, I summon the sidecar, place the woman in it, and we take off riding. I purposely let Zane and Weiss go in front of us, and then open a channel between my communicator and Blake's.

"So, I've been wondering… what's with the bow?" I immediately feel Blake tense up,

"Calm down. It's just a question. It's just… you _never_ take it off."

"Its just for decoration," she said, after a short pause.

"I heard you hesitate. That just confirms it. You do know that there is a way for us Faunus to live in the real world, without hiding."

"What makes you think I'm a Faunus?"

"Your bow twitches in a way that can only be caused if a solid mass is behind them."

"Fine. You caught me. I'm a Faunus. Don't tell anyone though. If you do, so help me..." Blake began getting serious.

"Yeah, about that. Zane knows too. He noticed about the same time I did, actually."

"God. Who else knows?"

"Just us. The only way that the rest of your team is finding out is if they notice the way I did, or if you tell them,"

"Good." Blake said, as we pull into the town square, where Zane and Weiss are already waiting alongside Ruby and Weiss. I park, dismount, remove my helmet and turn to the injured woman.

"So, what is your name? And what are you doing here." I ask her.

"Marie. I'm a huntress. You honestly shouldn't have come here. The thing that did this," she, said, gesturing to the village, "exterminated several huntsman. All of them fully trained."

"That's what I thought!" Ruby exclaimed, "We were sent by Professor Ozpin…"

Marie gasps, "The principal of Beacon sent you? Why would he send six untrained children to do this?"

"He must have thought that we could handle it." Blake pipes up.

"He thought me and my team could handle it too. We were slaughtered within fifteen minutes of starting to fight."

Suddenly, I hear a massive roar from the nearby woods. My tail flicks around, and I unsheathe my claws from my fingertips. I know immediately that whatever made the noise was the being that destroyed the village.

"That...cannot be good." I say.

"Gee, what makes you say that?" Zane said sarcastically.

"Don't give me that." I exclaim, as a boom echoes through the street.

"Guys, I don't think that we should focus on that right now." Yang said with a shaky voice. She is pointing down the street. Turning the corner is a massive, ten-foot-tall monster. The first thing I notice is its face. It is the most gruesome thing I have ever seen.

"You're too late." Marie exclaims. We all turn to her, and see that she has begun to shiver uncontrollably, "It's here!"


End file.
